Pearl Harbor dead remembered on 71st anniversary
By Audrey McAvoy | The Associated Press
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -— More than 2,000 people are
gathering at Pearl Harbor on Friday to mark the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attack that killed
thousands of people and launched the United States into World War
II.
Ceremonies get under way with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the
exact time the bombing began in 1941.
The crew of a Navy guided-missile
destroyer will stand on deck while the ship passes the USS Arizona, a battleship that still lies in
the harbor where it sank decades ago.
Hawaii Air National Guard aircraft
will fly overhead in missing man formation.
The Navy and National Park
Service are hosting the ceremonies, which are being held in remembrance of the 2,390 service members
and 49 civilians killed in the attack.
Friday events will also give
special recognition to members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, who flew noncombat missions
during World War II, and to ray Emory, a 91-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor who has pushed to
identify the remains of unknown servicemen.
Admiral Cecil Haney,
commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is scheduled to give the keynote address at the ceremony. The
ceremony will also include a Hawaiian blessing, songs played by the U.S. Pacific Fleet band and a
rifle salute from the U.S. Marine Corps.
President Barack Obama marked
the day on Thursday by issuing a presidential proclamation, calling for flags to fly at half-staff
on Friday and asking all Americans to observe the day of remembrance and honor military service
members and veterans.
"Today, we pay solemn tribute to America's sons and
daughters who made the ultimate sacrifice at Oahu," Obama said in a statement. "As we do, let us
also reaffirm that their legacy will always burn bright — whether in the memory of those who knew
them, the spirit of service that guides our men and women in uniform today, or the heart of the
country they kept strong and free."
The Navy and Park Service will resume
taking visitors to the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits atop the sunken battleship, after the
ceremony.
Copyright 2012 The Associated
Press.
